In 2025, I started putting more elaborate decorations and embellishments on a lot of my larger pots. As I’d experiment and doodle with shapes, I’d take note of which ones seemed to work, then steal those ideas for decorating other pots. One in particular I liked was a set of coil-wrapped rings from my piece “Fiddling While the World Burns,” which had potential as a handle for a single-finger mug. I made a set of 40ish mugs, experimenting with a variety of glazes and finishes to see which played nicely with the elaborate shape of the handles. I also developed a simpler two-finger handle that looked less interesting, but was oddly satisfying to hold. It was like a set of brass knuckles for your coffee.

Most of them have found homes already, being claimed between a gallery in Cap Hill, a market at my church, and family Christmas gifts, but I plan on continuing to develop some of my favorites in the future.